A Scottish businesswoman who sparked an air rage alert was on her way to Co Donegal to sign into a rehabilitation centre.
Alison Devine downed a bottle of wine and then several small bottles of gin before getting on board an Aer Lingus flight from Glasgow to Carrickfinn Airport.
However, the 41-year-old mother-of-two had to be restrained by cabin crew when she became violent on the flight.
She attacked an air hostess and had to be restrained by another passenger before the plane landed.
Mrs Devine was arrested on landing and appeared at a sitting of Letterkenny District Court today on two charges.
Garda Eamon McGinley told Judge Paul Kelly that he arrested Ms Devine under the State Airport Shannon group Act of 2014 for both a charge of being drunk and also assaulting air hostess Haley Walsh.
When the charge of assault was put to Ms Devine at Letterkenny Garda station, she replied “She didn’t like me from the start, she was obnoxious.”
Garda McGinley told the court that the air hostess had suffered bruising and was quite traumatised when Ms Devine grabbed her by the wrists.
He stressed that Ms Devine was not served alcohol on the Aer Lingus flight and how it would not have been able to land in Donegal but for the intervention of another passenger is helping to restrain the accused woman.
Solicitor Patsy Gallagher told the court that his client, of 279 Main Street, Bogside, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was pleading to both charges.
He revealed how Ms Devine had come to Donegal to attend the De Exetor Rehabilitation Centre in Termon.
The centre had arranged to meet Ms Devine off her flight and a counsellor from the centre was there when she landed.
However, Mr Gallagher said that his client’s family had left her at Glasgow Airport and she was allowed to access to alcohol.
“She was basically left at the airport alone and allowed to get the plane to Ireland. There was no support on the other side for her. She drank a bottle of wine in literally two minutes and bought five or six small bottles of gin and down them.
“She is a Jeckyl and Hyde character and she is deeply tearful and fearful of where she has now ended up,”he said.
Judge Paul Kelly said he was agreeing to bail in the case on the understanding that Ms Devine attend the rehab centre which she had come to Ireland for.
He ordered her to surrender her passport and driver’s license and to reside at De Exetor House in Termon until March 30th next.
He also asked Garda Inspector Sean Grant to find out if the airline or air hostess Ms Walsh was out of pocket.